Story excerpts from Pam McDowell Saylor

From the original story “The Little Birch Leaf”

Meanwhile, each day the little birch leaf turned more and more golden. “We are quite beautiful,” he whispered to the other leaves. “But I am afraid we will have to leave with the others. Who knows where the wind will take us?”

“Have faith,” answered the cabbage in the garden. “I, too, am at my best. See how plump and purple I am? See how the sun shines in the water droplets that cling to me? But I have heard from the stones that my days are numbered. I will not be here next week. I will be gone. I could fear the worst, but I have courage.”

“Courage? What is courage?”

“Courage is what makes you happy even when everything changes. Courage is the cord to the unchangeable.”

“The unchangeable? What is that?”

“It is to be found within you. It shines like the sun.”

From the original story “Glow-of-the-Moon”

Up rose Raven, with a sly grin on his face. “Look at you, you are so heavy, your feet are sinking into the ground! You will never get to the moon in that condition! Ha, ha, ha!”

“You are my last helper, and you are failing me!” Glow-of-the-Moon cried. The tears fell from her eyes. Raven had no mercy. He laughed even harder. Then Raven began to cry, too, but only because he had laughed so hard. They were both crying. They cried and cried.

But then, like a glimmer, Glow-of-the-Moon saw that it was the laughter, laughter at herself, that was the gift. She began to laugh at herself and Raven crying there in the woods. They laughed and cried for laughing until they became so light that they began to float up, up, up. “There’s the moon!” shouted Glow-of-the-Moon.